Whispers: Who has the edge for top prospects
With National Signing Day less than a week away, there are numerous committed and uncommitted four and five-star prospects that have yet to make their final decisions.
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For the first time in two years, it looks like the nation's No. 1 prospect will actually sign a Letter of Intent on Signing Day. However, there are others who could extend the process.
Where will five-stars like Seantrel Henderson and Keenan Allen land?
Rivals.com national analyst Mike Farrell takes a look at those in the Rivals250 that are still in play in his last Weekly Whispers for the 2010 class.
OL Seantrel Henderson - The nation's top offensive lineman has narrowed his choices to Ohio State, USC, Notre Dame, Florida and Miami. The Buckeyes hold the edge here, and Notre Dame is emerging as a sleeper. Miami gets the final visit, but it would surprise many if he ended up anyplace but the Midwest.
DB Keenan Allen - To stick with Alabama or join his brother, Zach Maynard, at Clemson - or possibly Cal? A package deal to Clemson is gaining momentum, and we'll see if Allen and Maynard decide to take the long trip to Cal. Right now it appears family has the edge over his current commitment, and the trip to Cal is on this weekend.
DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa - Owa is supposed to make his decision by the weekend, but likely won't announce until Signing Day. Oregon State has replaced Oregon in his top three to go with UCLA and Nebraska. Nebraska is his personal favorite according to sources, but will he stay closer to home and play for the Beavers? UCLA was once the leader but has faded. Nebraska seems to be the pick right now.
WR Da'Rick Rogers - Will he follow his quarterback and friend Nash Nance to Tennessee, or will he stick with his current commitment to Georgia? Sources say that Rogers is inclined to stick with Georgia. However, this is another potential package deal that needs to be followed. There are forces in play that would love to see Rogers at Tennessee.
RB Marcus Lattimore - It's down to South Carolina and Auburn, with a lot of loud confidence coming from the Tigers side of things. There is quiet confidence in Columbia, S.C. Some think that Lattimore has been a part of this Gamecock class for quite some time - which is why Steve Spurrier hasn't recruited another running back. The Gamecocks are still thought to be the team to beat, but time will tell.
DE Jackson Jeffcoat - Confidence is very high at Texas despite a final official visit to Oklahoma. USC was thought to be the biggest threat before Pete Carroll left for the NFL. With the Trojans out of the picture, everyone expects Jeffcoat to end up at Texas.
ATH Latwan Anderson - It is likely down to West Virginia, USC or Ohio State. Anderson is committed to West Virginia, but he might visit USC this weekend. He has labeled USC his dream school, but West Virginia has been his favorite for a long time. This all depends on how things go in L.A. If he makes the trip, everyone knows Lane Kiffin and his staff will put on the full-court press.
LB Jordan Hicks - Hicks is expected to announce Friday between Texas, Florida and Ohio State. The feeling here is that the Longhorns will come away with a big win. Florida is the biggest threat, but they fell off when Charlie Strong went to Louisville.
LB Christian Jones - The Florida rumors are going strong, but if Jones ends up anyplace but Florida State it will be a surprise.
OL Shon Coleman - Coleman is committed to Auburn but looking at other schools. He visited Arkansas, and has trips scheduled to Alabama and Miami this week. Also, Ole Miss can't be counted out. Alabama could be the biggest threat right now.
WR Markeith Ambles - USC has emerged as the team to beat here. A lot depends on where Ambles decides to visit this weekend, and if he decides to delay things beyond Signing Day. LSU could be a threat if he visits there this weekend. North Carolina and Tennessee are still in the mix, but his silence since his USC visit speaks volumes. He looks like a Trojan.
DE Gabe King - King was down to Oregon and Cal, but apparently it's all Cal now - as it was earlier in the process.
DE J.R. Ferguson - Even Ferguson doesn't have a clue where he's headed. The hunch here is that he ends up playing in Florida at either Florida State or Miami. He had a great visit to FSU last weekend, and Miami gets the last shot this weekend. LSU can't be counted out either, while Cal and Notre Dame trail.
DE Corey Lemonier - It's FSU or Auburn for Lemonier with confidence high on both sides. FSU is the guess here, but it's simply a hunch based on early playing time. This could obviously go either way.
WR Ivan McCartney - Rumor has it that West Virginia has a silent commitment from McCartney, but Miami is still trying to pull him to their side. The Hurricanes get the last shot with a visit this weekend, but WVU is the team to beat - and has been for a long time.
OL Chaz Green - Florida has the edge here, followed by USC and Ohio State. Tennessee, a lock for his services at one time, seems to be gone from the picture. The USC visit this weekend will be a big one because Green was all set to play for Tennessee when Kiffin was the coach of the Vols. But will Green go that far away? Florida is the safest bet right now.
ATH Trovon Reed - We put Reed on here simply because he took a late visit to LSU, but he appears to be all Auburn.
DT Jeffrey Whitaker - Whitaker is down to Auburn, Georgia and Miami - with the Tigers holding the edge. Auburn will be hard to beat here, but Georgia is making things tough. a lot depends on if Whitaker takes his Miami trip this weekend. Auburn is the safe bet right now.
ATH Christian Green - It's FSU and Georgia here, and it would be a stunner if he went against all the ties he has to the Seminoles.
OL Matt James - Notre Dame has emerged as the leader here, especially if they take his quarterback, Luke Massa. James once listed Ohio State as his leader, but the Irish have made up all that ground.
DT Ricky Heimuli - Washington gets the last shot at Heimuli, but many feel that this will come down to UCLA and Utah in the end. Utah has always been high on his list, so don't be shocked if the Utes pull an upset here.
WR Kadron Boone - Try to figure out Boone, I dare you. He is committed to Texas Tech but has visited Louisville, Georgia and West Virginia. He is also scheduled to visit LSU this weekend. Your guess is as good as mine, but a switch from Tech is likely because he committed there because of former coach Mike Leach's wide open offense.
DB Dietrich Riley - UCLA emerged as the leader for Riley once Carroll bolted for the NFL, but keep an eye on USC here anyhow. They will likely get the final visit from Riley, and you know they will make this a tough choice on him. It seems to be down to those two barring a surprise.
DB Nickell Robey - Robey is committed to Georgia, but rumors are becoming more persistent that he could end up elsewhere. He was all set to flip to Tennessee before Kiffin left, and now he'll visit USC this weekend. Obviously distance could be a factor, so keep an eye on West Virginia and South Florida here as well. If things go well when Robey meets new Georgia defensive backs coach Scott Lakatos, he could be a Bulldog after all.
TE Christian Thomas - The previous staff at USC was lukewarm on Thomas for different reasons, but the new staff will get the last crack at Thomas this weekend. Oregon State was thought to be the team to beat, but it depends how this weekend goes.
OL Arie Kouandjio - Alabama leads over Cal with USC getting the last visit this weekend. Look for the Tide to roll with this one by Signing Day barring something unforeseen.
WR Vincent Sanders - Ole Miss leads the way over Mississippi State and Florida State heading into Signing Day. It would be a bit of a surprise if the Rebels lost this one.
DB Ahmad Dixon - After changing his mind numerous times, Dixon remains a Baylor commitment. However, USC could be working its way in here. The Trojans want Dixon as a linebacker. With Dixon it's impossible to predict what he'll do, so let's say Baylor looks good here.
LB Josh Shirley - Shirley is one of the guys who could go beyond Signing Day if he's not ready to choose next week. Miami gets the last visit, but the feeling here is that he will end up closer to home and pick USC.
QB Barry Brunetti - West Virginia has his commitment right now. Until that changes, he's a Mountaineer lean. But there's a 50/50 chance he could flip to Mississippi State because he likes coach Dan Mullen and the situation there that much.
DT Mike Thornton - Georgia, Georgia and more Georgia unless he pulls a shocker. Penn State and Kentucky are the other two finalists.
LB Corey Nelson - Nelson is committed to Texas A&M, but Oklahoma has moved in and might have taken the lead. I've always thought A&M would hold onto him - short of Texas offering - so I'll stick with that. In the end, the Sooners will make this hard.
DB Demar Dorsey - Dorsey visits USC this weekend, but I think Florida State is the team with the best shot at swinging him away from Florida. His visit last weekend to Tallahassee was a very good one.
OL Damien Robinson - Ole Miss gets the last visit here for Robinson, and this is shaping up as an in-state battle between the Rebels and Mississippi State. MSU appears to have the edge heading into this weekend.
ATH Anthony Jefferson - The three finalists are UCLA, Oregon and Arizona. The feeling is that the Bruins will pull this one out in the end and might already have a silent commitment.
ATH Hayes Pullard - USC is the leader here with Washington likely the biggest threat. Pullard has been very quiet about things, so anything could happen - including an upset by UCLA.
RB Giovanni Bernard - The one-time Notre Dame commitment will now choose between the Irish, North Carolina and Oregon State sometime before Signing Day. The momentum is on the side of the Tar Heels.
LB Chris McCain - McCain is committed to Oregon. However, Cal is the surefire leader for his ex-teammate Gabe King. The Bears are also now very much in the mix for Keenan Allen. A flip to the Bears isn't out of the realm of possibility.
ATH Dominique Brown - Brown could wait until after Signing Day to decide, and it appears it's down to Cincinnati and Ohio State unless Louisville can sway him at the last moment. You have to think Ohio State wins this one.
WR Brandon Coleman - Coleman is down to Maryland and Rutgers with the Terps now pulling ahead. Rutgers losing its wide receivers coach and now its recruiting coordinator has swung this in Maryland's direction.
ATH Delvin Jones - Jones is more focused on trying to get eligible than recruiting. It seems likely that Tennessee, where he was committed before Kiffin left, will sign and place him. He could go beyond Signing Day if he wants to take official visits, because without a qualifying test score he hasn't been able to take official visits.
WR Adrian Coxson - Coxson is very hard to read. The former Penn State commitment is down to Florida, Georgia and Notre Dame. All three want him badly, contrary to previous rumors. Best guess is the SEC for Coxson, with Florida holding the slight edge.
RB Rajaan Bennett - Bennett lists Tennessee, Kentucky and Vanderbilt as his finalists with the Vols getting the last chance this weekend. Tennessee has a very good shot at stealing him away in the end. Kentucky was thought to be the team to beat before Tennessee got involved.
DT Byran Jones - Jones was a heavy lean to Auburn until Arkansas began recruiting his friend and teammate Alan Turner. If Arkansas offers Turner, then Jones will likely end up with the Razorbacks as a package deal. Otherwise, the feeling is Auburn.
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